Hooded Sweater Also Doubles as a Mini
Question: I keep reading about the hooded look for fall, but can’t find anything in the stores. I’m looking for a hooded sweater, size 10. I’m very tall (6 feet), so I’d prefer a long one. Can you help?--S.G.
Answer: You may not have recognized them as such in the bins, but there are many hooded sweaters in the stores now. Their deep cowl collars pull up over the head to become hoods, as in the one illustrated here. This widely banded, wool-knit sweater with dropped shoulder seams is available in fuchsia or cream, small or average, for $145. If your height is in your legs, not your body, the sweater is long enough to function as a mini over tights or leggings. If your body is your “long,” wear the sweater atop pants or skirts of all lengths. This elongated pullover is illustrated in the current catalogue published by Henri Bendel, 10 West 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019.
Q: Do I have to wait for Christmas again in order to be able to find men’s bedroom slippers? Please help me find some in time for a Labor Day birthday.--R.V.
A: Christmas comes early this year at the Cedars-Sinai Gift Shop, where men’s slippers are a year-round item. Right now there are terry scuffs at $7.50, velour scuffs and slippers at $12 and $13 and leather slippers ranging in price from $16 to $34. The gift shop’s Lotte Kahn reports that fleece-lined slippers can be special-ordered. Women’s bedroom slippers also are stocked at prices from $7 to $45.
Q: Where can I get Yves Saint Laurent patterns for the Gypsy look?--E.N.
A: You can’t. Saint Laurent’s rich peasants--his big heroines of 1976--are now out of fashion. But Gypsy looks are available from other designers. You might want to consider McCall’s 9155 by Laura Ashley, McCall’s 2024 and Very Easy Very Vogue 9291.
Q: Please tell me how to mend a tear in a fur coat.--C.M.
A: On page 95 in Singer’s new “Clothing Care & Repair” (Random House: $10.95), the sewing experts advise butting the edges of the torn skin together, wrong side up, pushing any exposed fur hairs to the right side of the skin with the blunt end of a needle. Stitch the two edges together, using heavy-duty waxed thread and a wedge-shape furrier’s needle. Make small stitches perpendicular to the torn edges, inserting the needle through both skins. Do not stitch through fur hairs. Reinforce the repair by gluing twill tape over the seam. These procedures are photographed in the book. If it’s not available at your local fabric shop or your local bookstore can’t get it, write to Cy DeCosse Inc., 5900 Green Oak Drive, Minnetonka, Minn. 55343.
